Technical issues in software development

Computers and software engineers are amazing and talented. But they do make mistakes. This is not an exact science nor is it free of error. So that you know what to watch out for, here are a few mistakes that you can avoid.

When a problem arises in software engineering, often it is thought that if you assign more people, the project it will get fixed faster. Not only is this not true but at some point bringing on more people actually slows everything down. It takes time to bring everyone up to speed. And some tasks, by their very nature, cannot be split up.

Tasks struggling to meet their timelines should have been split up and into component parts so that the estimate can be realistic. Often a manager will make the mistake of thinking that a new hire will hit the floor running. Each project will take an acclimation period before a new person can grasp both the bigger picture is well as what they need to be doing.

Another mistake is parallel to this problem is when an individual themselves think they will hit the floor running. They think they can multi-task when in actuality their work will get worse and it will take longer.

What is interesting to note about this, is that multi-tasking, even in the small, short time elements, is not helpful. Phone calls, emails and actual work suffer when combined. Multi-tasking also promotes burn out. Then a project manager will need to bring someone else in, mid-stream, which doesn’t help the project either.

Constructing extra processes to ensure efficiency or eliminate problems never works too well. Having to fill out change request forms for the smallest of issues is not conducive to speedy delivery. These are the kind of forms that need to be filled out on paper, in triplicate and then disseminated around the office. This also promotes an unhealthy work environment as no one will trust the others.